Samsung acquires mSpot. S-Stream and S-Radio on the way?

“More is always better” is a statement that seemingly holds true in the world of technology. More cores and faster processors, higher RAM, higher resolution Super LCD or AMOLED displays, bigger batteries, and more storage capacity. The capabilities of handheld devices increasingly mimic PCs, and naturally, the expectations we have from our devices have also changed over time.

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Just when we thought that mobile devices are finally “good enough”, things changed again. All our storage needs were moved up “to the heavens” with the introduction of cloud computing and storage. From my own experience, all my photos are on Dropbox, all my files and some videos are on Google Drive, and all my music on Google Play Music. Suddenly, the 32GB microSD card becomes a little redundant.

With online storage and streaming services becoming increasingly attractive, we’ve seen mobile manufacturers rushing to get a slice of the pie. HTC has reportedly acquired music-streaming service MOG, while Asus and Acer prepare their own cloud services. Following this trend, Samsung announced today the acquisition of mSpot, a budding media-streaming service.

While Samsung did not disclose the terms of the deal, the New York Times estimates the value of mSpot at about $8.8 million. According to TJ Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung’s Media Solution Center, Samsung shares mSpot’s vision to bring a best-in class cloud experience to consumers. He further added that mSpot is backed up by great technical solutions and ran by a great engineering team.

The acquisition of the Palo Alto, California based startup might provide multiple advantages for Samsung including:

With the recently launched S-Cloud and the acquisition of mSpot, Samsung will be able to compete with Apple’s iTunes and iCloud storage solutions, as well as Google’s Drive and Play Music services.

The integration of mSpot will allow for a more comprehensive media and entertainment experience across all Samsung devices.

mSpot already has deals in place with major studios such as Disney, Lion’s Gate, Sony, Universal, and Paramount to stream their movies and TV shows to handheld devices.

This latest move highlights Samsung desire to offer feature packed devices, while reducing the dependency on other companies. Apart from using in-house Exynos processors and AMOLED displays, new Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy S3, will be loaded with unique features, like S-beam (quick file transfer system) and S-Voice (Voice recognition and command support). The addition of S-Cloud and now mSpot should be considered another tick in the win column for the tech giant.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever used mSpot? Is the mSpot acquisition a good move by Samsung? Let us know in the comments section below.

The acquisition will provide a cloud entertainment experience of music, video and radio services for users of Samsung devices, while extending mSpot’s cloud and streaming solutions to a broader base of global entertainment fans. The combination will extend mSpot’s top class cloud and streaming services, while further enhancing Samsung’s mobile and tablet device entertainment offerings. The mSpot entertainment services will be a key pre-installed offering on newly announced Samsung mobile devices.

“mSpot shares our vision to bring a best-in class cloud and streaming entertainment experience to consumers, and they’ve backed it up with great technical solutions from a great engineering team,” said TJ Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Media Solution Center.

“Samsung is unparalleled in terms of global reach and cutting edge devices; with our combined resources, we are looking forward to redefining media consumption across the mobile universe with cloud services,” said mSpot Chief Executive Officer Daren Tsui.

The acquisition will include the full scope of technology, assets and human resources under mSpot. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$142.2 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of nine independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Memory, System LSI and LED. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, mobile phones and semiconductor chips. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About mSpot

mSpot was formed in 2004 and is a provider of innovative music and video delivery service for mobile devices. The company has been providing white-labeled cloud entertainment services for major US mobile carriers. It also has its own brand services available in the Android Marketplace or App Store. For more information, go to www.mspotcorporate.com